From Betsy's Story...

“Did you ever think about…do you ever wonder?” Hope pointed to Betsy’s stomach.

"I love you."

A few years later...Sparks, Nevada...two days before Christmas

“It says here, that the man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD…..” Jimmy Generro looked over at his daughter. Just past her twentieth birthday, but you probably would have guessed she was much younger, and you’d be right in a way.

“I have to say that I’ve been blessed twice; both with the most caring woman I ever knew and with a daughter who takes right after her mother.” Jimmy's comment about Hope wasn't lost on anyone; all who knew them knew that she had been adopted as a teenager. Jimmy smiled at Hope; he expected no return gesture as she was somewhat preoccupied with a Sudoku puzzle she was solving. It didn’t matter to him, since he loved her so much. She was singing quiet to herself, prompting Jimmy's next few words.

“I thought of what song might be appropriate to commemorate our anniversary, and I was lost for a choice until I came across an old VHS tape the other day. Scrooge…the Musical?” A few nods were accompanied by several more murmurs since the movie had been made decades earlier and rarely appeared on the classic movie channels. Jimmy smiled once again and looked over at Hope. She caught his eye and nodded as if to say, “Now?” He mouthed the word ‘yes’ and she stood up and walked to him. Something so soothing about knowing how everything will turn out, he felt secure that his daughter would enter heaven sometime since she did have the heart and soul of a child.

“Daddy asked me to help him here. I guess I should,” she said, putting her head down in anxious dread. He pulled her close and kissed her cheek.

“It’s okay, Hope. Whatever words you think of will be just right, okay?” He blinked back a few tears.

“I…wonder if it could say….maybe she who finds a great Mom…finds a treasure too?” As buoyant and loud as she could be at times, most people got to know Hope Generro in her quiet moments. She looked out over the folks before her and grinned broadly, as if she had indeed discovered a treasure. Jimmy touched her arm; partly to reassure her, but also to prompt her. She did so well now that she was learning to trust her plans; meticulous though they might be, they kept her on track. She was just short of earning her Associates Degree in Arts, and looked forward to going on to study Art History. She turned back to Jimmy and smiled.

“I know, Daddy. I’ve got it, okay?” No one could blame her for being a bit short with him; she felt more confident and sure of who she was, even if much of that remained somewhat scattered. It was something that we linears might struggle with, but her world was fine just the way it was. She shook her head in apology and turned to face front once again.

“I…love my Mom. I hope you love her, too. She’s the best Mom anyone could ever have.” The words came haltingly as she self-monitored as she usually did in a large crowd.

“I….” She turned to Jimmy one last time and fell into his arms, sobbing.”

“We miss her.” It was all Jimmy could say as he struggled past his own teary gasps before he returned the favor to his daughter and wept in her arms. The pastor place her hand on their shoulders.

“Please…come and share who Betsy Generro was to you folks?” She smiled a welcoming smile. No one rushed up; that awkward feeling of not being adequate enough to praise another human being? The feeling that one might say something too personal and emotional? And then a smallish figure made her way up the aisle and slowly up the stairs to the stage. Almost frail, but the girl seemed almost Dickens-like in her charm even as she struggled with the last step. She turned and spoke.

“Hi…my name is Elizabeth …I miss Betsy. I wanted to say that if it wasn’t for knowing her, I wouldn’t be here today. We…” She put her head down, as if it was shameful to cry, but she came from a legacy of shame and guilt, and it was still hard for her to apprehend all that Betsy had ‘left’ her.

“I have a form of muscular dystrophy..…the Jerry Lewis telethons and smile even though you’re crying?” Jimmy knew Elizabeth from her frequent phone calls to check on Betsy the past several weeks and certainly from the two support groups as well. The girl was so much smaller than her fifteen years would have been expected to present, but she was wise beyond her years as well.

“And I’m…” She paused; hopefully one last unneeded apology that played itself out in final guilt and shame.

“My Mom gave birth to a baby boy fifteen years ago this Friday. She didn’t know then but I did know when I was five that I wasn’t really a boy.” She sighed and looked at her mother, who stood in the back corner of the church, nearly cheering her on. Strength filled her heart; between the love of a mother and the love of a hero, she was able to continue, despite being very anxious.

“Lorenzo was really Elizabeth, you know? And I thank God that Betsy helped me and my Mom figure it all out.” Everyone who knew her well knew her story; no secret even in the midst of potential rejection, she had gained the courage to speak for herself and be herself. All of the people there had been like family and certainly as friends to Betsy and Jimmy and Hope, so there wasn’t really any need to worry about what she had just revealed. She and Betsy were like Aunt and Niece in a way.

And Elizabeth….. Elohim Shabbat…God will bless? The same name shortened and made cute and perhaps perky? Betsy. And entirely blissful coincidence. She put her head down once again, this time in relief. A few moments later she had returned to the back of the church, where she sat with her Mom. Several folks had reached over and were praying for her.

After nearly an hour of tribute, the Pastor turned to Jimmy and Hope. Jimmy had collected himself enough to speak one last time.

“I am so glad that I’m only one of many that my wife blessed. Her legacy lives on in children…young ladies like Elizabeth. And of course her legacy resides in Hope and even in me. I pray that her legacy resides in you as well…..

Next: Lydia's Vow

The Beautiful Day
From Scrooge — the Musical
Words and music by
Leslie Bricusse
As performed by
Snezana Jelic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJOqRoPKth0